As has been demonstrated by the way buildings are operated (i.e. the only way to determine the true cost of a building), Passive Buildings have reduced cost requirements while their construction costs are surprisingly affordable. The investment in high quality construction materials, based on the Passive House Standard specifications, is balanced by the absence of the need to purchase conventional heating and cooling systems. In addition, this investment in energy savings is many times cheaper and more efficient in the long term than a unilateral investment in renewables or the easy solution of "fuel switching".
"A passive building is a building in which the indoor thermal comfort (ISO 7730) is ensured exclusively by preheating or pre-cooling the amount of fresh air required (DIN 1946) for the correct indoor atmosphere, without the use of additional air recirculation." A passive building is a building model that offers high energy efficiency, comfort, economy and is environmentally friendly. It is not a brand, but a design philosophy that is open to all. Source : www.eipak.org Regardless of climate or region, Passive Buildings maintain a comfortable and pleasant temperature all year round with minimal energy requirements. Buildings are heated passively, meaning they make efficient use of the sun, internal heat sources and heat recovery, so that conventional heating systems are not necessary even on the coldest winter days. During the summer, the Passive Building uses passive cooling techniques, such as proper shading and night-time natural ventilation design, in order to keep cool. In any case, the excellent quality and technology of materials and careful design ensure that temperatures remain at stable and pleasant levels for the occupants/users all year round. A Passive Building uses up to 90% less energy for heating and cooling than conventional buildings in Central Europe, resulting in less than 1.5 litres of oil or 1.5 cubic metres of natural gas per year being required to heat one square metre of habitable space. However, extremely high savings are also achieved in warmer regions where buildings need cooling. Limiting energy use leads to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, making the Passive House a truly sustainable option compared to conventional construction. Passive Buildings achieve thermal comfort with very low energy requirements. Mechanical ventilation systems with energy recovery provide the required fresh air continuously, offering a high quality atmosphere, without being perceived due to the reduced operating noise level. The combination of constant temperatures and correct air exchange prevents moisture damage and mould growth. The Passive Building operates like a thermos, passively maintaining its contents at the right temperature without the use of active cooling or heating. Shading, Night Natural Ventilation, Light Air Geothermal and Correct Thermal Mass Design contribute to the best performance of Passive Buildings in Mediterranean climates. A properly insulated building envelope, during the winter, keeps heat inside the building, while in the summer it prevents it from entering the building. Correctly designed, insulated and installed frames participate in the optimal use of solar gains. Passive House ventilation systems provide clean air, free of pollen and dust, with maximum energy efficiency through heat recovery and humidity control Passive buildings are designed to avoid air leaks in the building envelope, thus increasing energy efficiency and preventing air currents and moisture damage. Minimizing thermal bridges and weak points in the building envelope contributes to creating a pleasant and stable temperature, while eliminating moisture damage and increasing energy efficiency. The Passive Building works by minimising heat loss and maximising thermal gains. To minimize heat loss you first of all need good insulation (about 15 cm +, depending on the location in each part of Greece). Insulation with a thermal conductivity ≤ 0.1 W / (m K), with the aim that the U-value of the shell is between 0.10 and 0.25 W/(m2K). All windows also need to be very well insulated. It is advisable that they are not oversized (cost increase), have "energy glass with Ug < 0.80 W/(m2K) total Uw < 1.00 W/(m2K). All frame profiles, if they meet these specifications, can be used. Then an airtight inner barrier of the insulation layer should be constructed. The airtightness of the building should not exceed 0,6 air changes/hour. This can be made of any material that is and remains airtight. Paper, polyethylene sheet, wood particle board, plaster etc. Just don't forget the connections. They should be highly airtight. It is obvious that the house should be ventilated. But you should not lose the internal warmth in this way in winter. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is the solution. It only works well in airtight homes though and offers energy recovery of up to 90%. In summer natural night ventilation and the use of light geothermal heat give the desired levels of thermal comfort. By minimising losses, thermal gains are maximised. These come from the sun, which should be abundant in the house in winter and avoided by proper shading in summer, and from the activities of users and appliances in the house. The building needs good south-facing orientation and good bioclimatic design. Auxiliary heating and hot water for domestic use also come from the sun or from other passive and/or energy-efficient and low-consumption passive systems. As a result, the building needs only 15 Kwh/m2 per year for cooling or heating and DHW. In addition, the primary energy does not exceed 120 Kwh/m2 per year. The Passive House standard is a purely computational standard based solely on bioclimatic design principles, physics principles and building energy efficiency and therefore has no specific construction methods. Because of this, each building can and should be adapted accordingly, to the climate of the region. From composite construction to heavy prefabrication, architects, following basic bioclimatic design principles, are free to create any kind of Passive Building they wish. The standard is increasingly used in other buildings such as schools, public services, factories and hotels. Equally important is the application of the standard to renovations of existing buildings using the certified EnerPHit methodology. In the last 20 years, the Passive House has become extremely popular in many countries. Over 37,000* Passive Houses have been built worldwide, from freezing Toronto to warm Jakarta, and many have been certified to the strict criteria of the German Passive House Institute. The above numbers are growing steadily not only because of the outstanding benefits of Passive Construction but also because of its all-encompassing flexibility. The first passive houses in Greece appeared in 2012. * Based on data at the beginning of 2012 Alongside high-tech research and certification of construction materials, the Passive House Institute and its network of partner institutions and authorised certifiers offer quality assurance for passive buildings. So you can be sure that buildings that have earned the Certified Passive House designation, as well as renovations that have been certified to EnerPHit standards, meet the strict criteria set by PHI. Passive Buildings do not need conventional heating or cooling. This means that the money saved on energy can be invested in better quality materials. This, combined with the large and long-term energy savings, makes the Passive House an excellent investment. In fact, given the declining reserves and the rising cost of fossil fuels, the Passive House Standard proves in practice that sustainability is within everyone's reach. Even though a Passive House costs on average more than a conventional construction, this has been changing in recent years as the construction materials commonly used are now sold in all countries. At the same time, the increasing number of professionals with Passive House experience, who can now be certified as Passive House Designers, Consultants or Manufacturers, helps to achieve even greater savings, as specialists in the field are now available in many countries. And the public or private funding that is being promoted to those who construct 'green buildings' such as Passive Buildings, further reduces the cost of constructing a Passive Building. However, even without such incentives, Passive Buildings are more economical in the long run than conventional buildings.
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